Multiple People Injured in Pecos County Explosion

PECOS COUNTY, TX (KWES) - Three men were injured Monday night and rushed to Pecos County Memorial Hospital following an explosion in a hunting cabin, officials said.

Their names and conditions have not been released.

According to Pecos County Sheriff Cliff Harris, the blast shook Hayter Ranch, a hunting lease approximately 35 miles west of Fort Stockton, between 9 and 9:15 p.m.

"[The force of the explosion] took the ceiling up and then it came back down, causing a lot of damage," he told NewsWest 9. "There was a lot of stuff that was flying around. Debris [was] going through the ceiling and walls."

The men in the cabin accidentally sparked the violent chemical reaction when they attempted to light a water heater, Harris explained.

"There was a leak from a propane tank... and gas had built up under the [cabin]," he said. "It just blew up."

At least one man injured in the blast appeared to have a broken leg, officials told NewsWest 9.

Harris said one victim was airlifted to the hospital, while the other two were driven by ambulance. The extent of their injuries are unknown.